


Love all, trust few

by Uzulover



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-07-02
Updated: 2018-07-05
Packaged: 2019-06-01 04:22:27
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 2
Words: 7,620
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15134996
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Uzulover/pseuds/Uzulover
Summary: The story of two idiots who fall in love despite the trials that threaten to push them against one another.Here is a love troubled by grief, secrets, dangerous assumptions, insecurity and jealousy.





	1. Meetings

“Love all, trust a few, do wrong to none.” ― William Shakespeare, All's Well That Ends Well

 

The air is thick with his grief, his eyes hidden by his sorrow that burrows so deep within his soul, he feels empty. He doesn't have the strength to make the few steps into the room, doesn't have the courage to cross over to her bed. He watches the way her chest barely moves, listens to the way her lungs releases a wheezy rattle with each breath, watches her bony hands as they shake over her stomach.

Her head, now devoid of all hair, is wrapped with a bright red turban with golden stitches, her colors as she loved to joke. Beside her bed, is a large machine that constantly beeps, a reminder that she's still alive. He watches his father, stretched and broken, as he whispers to her, holding her hands like a glass of his most favorite scotch. His lips wobbles as she smiles up at him, her once blue eyes dulled grey with sickness.

She's beautiful, even when the disease has robbed her of vitality. She's the brightest thing in the room, like a dying star bursting into the endless darkness of infinite space, demanding for all to gaze at its dangerous beauty. She wheezes and when her gaze lands on him, he flinches. "Come here my sweet boy" she calls out to him and he watches as his father retreats into himself.

All the soft emotions disappears from his face, only for a harsh desolate coldness to remain. Tony watches as his father gets up, kisses his wife on the forehead and leaves. No words shared, no comfort offered to each other as his father breezes by him. "He'll come around" his mother says for the millionth time, though this time sounds like the last.

Tony breaches the space between them, and takes his father's seat. "Hey there pretty lady" he smiles, and she rolls her eyes at him, though they soften as he takes her hands into his. **They're cold**.

"Look at you" she whispers, taking in his features, her eyes skating across his face free of acne now that he's free of puberty. He's wearing contacts, since his glasses are too bothersome at times, and his curls are so long, it reaches his forehead. He's not handsome like Stark men are supposed to be, but he's pretty like a Carbonell.

"I know" he shyly says and dimples appear on his red cheeks, as she squeezes his hands. He closes his eyes as a clammy hand is placed on his chin and skims across his face to rest on his right cheek. The smell of jasmine floods his nose.

"Promise me" she rasps and when he opens his eyes, she's staring at him. "Promise me that you won't turn into a Stark" she says and his eyes widen. He knows his father is outside, listening to their conversation. He wonders what kind of face he's making at this. "I want you to be happy, my sweet boy. I want you to live your life as you please, love who you want. So don't try to be someone you're not. Don't let yourself be turned into something that is as rotten as a Stark" she cries and he tries to soothe her, but her body shakes with her own desperation. He wipes her eyes with his handkerchief, the one she gave him when he was twelve, because as she said, that was the age of adulthood and a gentleman always had a handkerchief on him. She wetly laughs at the panic on his face and pats his cheek.

"What if I don't how to?" He asks and his mother shakes her head at him. "You'll figure it out because you're Howie's son" his mother says and he winces. "I know that you two don't get along but don't give up on him. Don't hate him, okay?" She adds and Tony looks down at her hands. "Tony" she whispers and Tony nods.

"I'll try but he always makes it so hard" he mutters and she huffs at the whine he releases when she runs her hand through his hair. He slumps over her bed, gently laying his head near her lap. "I love you" he whispers, his burning face pressed against the cool sheets, hands clutching against the fabric.

However, before she could reply, a loud incessant beeping erupts into the silence and his head shoots upwards. A scream bubbles in his throat as his mother is looking at him with the sweetest smile on her face. Hands grab at his shoulders as he's pulled away from the bed, as the nurses and doctor rush into the room to save her, but they all know she's gone to a place far from their reach.

"It's okay" is whispered into his temple and he doesn't even realize that it's his butler holding him. "Oh sir" he sobs and Tony remains still in Jarvis' arms until the beeping stops.

* * *

 

The first time Steve sees Anthony Edward Stark, it's on television.

He's sitting across from Sam and Bucky, on his ratty couch, snacking on a pop tart as the two argue. His mother is in the kitchen, humming to the sounds of Sinatra as Steve tries but fails to complete his summer homework.

On the television the reporter from CNN because his mother never watches FOX, drones on about the death and funeral of Maria Stark, wife of the billionaire Howard Stark, one of the richest families in America.

Bucky is cackling (fuck you Steve, I don't cackle, I chortle at best) at the rubber band that snaps against Sam's forehead, when the camera shifts and changes to the funeral. His mother who's walked into the living room, is frowning at the way they zero in on the remaining Stark family. "Why don't they ever leave those poor people alone?" She asks with a shake of her head and a pat to the heart.

"Poor isn't the right word to describe them" Sam snorts darkly but they don't pay him any attention. Steve is focused on Howard Stark, who stands before his wife's grave, every bit of the cold Titan he's rumored to be. Beside him, stands his son who embodies the words fluffy. He's short, with a head of the softest curls, and the prettiest face no boy should ever have. He's swaddled in a black coat, that probably costs more than his mom's salary at the hospital.

"Didn't you meet her, Aunt Sarah?" Bucky asks as he punches Sam for stealing his hair band.

"Yeah, I did. She was one of the saddest people I've ever met" his mother replies, and Steve remembers the first time his mother came home after meeting Maria Stark. She hadn't said a word, just went to bed without changing her clothes and cried until her skin flushed red. Steve had held her that night and cried with her.

"He's not shedding a single tear" Steve says and his mother looks at him. He feels righteous anger at that blank expression that Anthony Stark wears, and his hands curl into fists.

"We all grieve differently, Stevie" Bucky pipes up and Sam nods,as they shift closer to him.

"It's not your place, Steve" his mother warns but Steve feels a imminent dislike curl around his gut as he looks away from the TV.

What kind of **_monster_** didn't cry for their mother?

Almost as though she read his thoughts, his mother shoots him the most disappointed stare she could muster. Before he could apologize, she stalks out the room, leaving Steve with an embarrassed, blotchy face.

"Ooh you made her mad" Sam sings and grunts when Bucky elbows him on the ribs for his unnecessary commentary.

* * *

 

Four Weeks Later

"Good morning, sir" is the first thing he hears as he slips out of his dreamless slumber. The first thing he sees? It's his family butler, Jarvis as he stands dutifully at the foot of his bed, with a silver platter of breakfast.

Tony grunts and wipes away the drool from the corner of his face. He sits up and yawns as Jarvis places the platter on his lap. "I wish I woke up like a Disney Princess" Tony says, voice pitched low and croaky from his sleep.

"I believe you were very Anna-ish if I do say so myself, sir" Jarvis says with a straight face as Tony gobbles down his toast. Tony snorts and watches as a few flecks of bread sprays across his lap. Jarvis frowns.

"You've been watching Frozen again" Tony accuses and Jarvis shrugs like the Diva he is.

"Guilty" he pipes up and Tony smiles around his glass of orange juice. "I've laid out your 'outfit' sir" he adds and Tony glances at the pair of black jeans, his lucky, very washed out Led Zepplin t-shirt and a pair of those red Chucks that always pissed his father off.

"Nice" Tony says and the corner of Jarvis' lips turn upwards in a half smile.

"The red is a nice touch, isn't it?" Jarvis smugly asks and Tony nods, as he wolfs down his eggs.

"Did he call? " Tony asks and freezes when a knock echoes in the dim light of the rising sun. His wide eyes turn accusingly at Jarvis.

"I can hear you, Anthony" his father calls from behind the closed door and Tony sighs as said door flings open. He swallows as his father gazes at him with a face seemingly carved of granite. He looks at Jarvis who bows low and sure, before his eyes land on his clothes. "Really?" His father asks and Tony swallows down his eggs.

"I think it's a nice statement, don't you?" Tony states as he sips on his orange juice, smacking his lips loudly at the bored look on his father's face. "The sociopath of a Stark, who couldn't shed a tear at his mother's funeral finally decides to join the rest of plebeian society, in a move that stinked of desperation on his family's part to make the boy seem more human" Tony reads from memory, courtesy of an online blog he read, once it had came out that Anthony Edward Stark would attend his last semester of high school in a local school.

Tony had been home schooled by his mother and the plethora of the 'best' tutors could hire since he was a babe. After the one attempt of public education had gone wrong years ago, his mother decided to educate him on her own. Now that she- Tony rips his toast into his mouth and cuts the thought off. "Stark men don't cry" His father blandly replies but he doesn't quite manage to cover up the twitching of his left eye at the admonition.

"I heard" Tony mutters and finishes his breakfast. Jarvis on cue takes the empty platter from Tony and with an effortless bow of the head to Howard, he leaves. Tony dusts off his lap and looks at his father.

"There will be people in the school to take care of any threats" his father says apropos of nothing. Tony nods and his father moves slowly towards him. Tony tenses as his father places a silver pocket watch on the bed, and Tony pushes away the gasp he feels in his chest. The rose engraved at the back mocks him, and the loss feels acidic in his mouth. "She would have wanted you to have it" his father says, looking everywhere but at him.

It was his grandfather's watch, his mother's father he means. The only thing he had to pass down to his daughter, a man who had no other riches to offer his headstrong daughter who left Italy determined to 'make it'. When she arrived on American soil, she made sure to shed any hints of her Italian accent and went to work for one of the largest companies in the country, where she met one of the richest men in the world. The rest as they say, is history. She always carried her father's pocket watch, claiming that it was her lucky charm.

Tony cradles the watch in his hands and his father's throat bobs as Tony nods to himself. "I, uh, I thought you would want some luck on your first day"his father says and Tony squeezes the watch in his hand.

"Thanks" is all he says, afraid that any more he would have broken himself.

* * *

 

The first time Steve meets Anthony Edward Stark, it goes like this:

Steve loves school. He doesn't get why others must hate it so much. "It's because you're a nerd" Clint says without any malicious intent as they meet him and his sister at the gates. Natasha slaps him behind his head and smiles sweetly at Bruce who totters up to their little group. Bucky and Sam are laughing at Clint, shoulder to shoulder. With the two of them, half of the time, he doesn't know if they hate or love each other. There's a large group of people gathered at the gates, hoping to get a glimpse at the elusive Stark who as it is announced, would be joining their school. Steve, who had wished and prayed for their last semester of school to be quiet, had been sorely disappointed.

"I don't understand why he had to choose this school" Scott moans and groans as he joins them in their walk into the school.

"Hey, give the guy a break" Bucky says, because unlike Steve who had instantly hated that flippant attitude of Stark's, Bucky found him cool, especially when the photos of the brown haired kid flipping off the paparazzi circulated the internet.

"Ooh, worried for your boy toy?" Sam sniped and Steve sighed at the hurt in the boy's voice.

"He wishes" Bucky jokes and frowns when Sam hurries away.

"Boys" Natasha says though she smiles at Bruce who returns the gesture. Steve pulls Bucky in for a one armed hug, as his best friend frowns at Sam's disappearing back.

* * *

 

"Wow so this is school" Tony says sarcastically to himself and he looks at the melee of people gathered at the gates. In a move that he totally didn't copy from Princess Mia of Genovia, he had Jarvis park some blocks away from the school. Jarvis had looked out from the Benz and frowned, though he didn't stop him. He hitches his bag higher and saunters past the giggling girls who don't even realize that the same person they are waiting for, had walked past them.

* * *

 

Steve frowns as the buzz dies down by lunch time. Anthony Stark's arrival is anti-climatic as people gossips.

Apparently he walked into the school undetected and when it was time to introduce himself to his class, he looked at his classmates and announced "I hate people".

Bucky had laughed so hard, he snorted soda up his nose and had to hide his face on Sam's shoulder as they laughed at him. They're seated outside for lunch, under their tree, when Steve forgets about that one essay he has yet to finish. "I'm off to the library" he says, picking up his bag and avoids the fry to his head.

"Booo" Clint shouts and Steve laughs as Scott kicks him to shut him up. He winks at Scott who shows him a thumbs up in return. When he gets to the library, the new librarian nods at him, and Steve resists the urge to blush as the pretty woman smiles at him. He manages to snag the best table in the library, next to the last row of books, and sets to work.

It's ten minutes into his essay, when a soft voice captures his attention.

"Hey Rhodey" the voice whispers and Steve looks down at his paper. The delicate openness in that tone feels intimate in the same way Jane and Thor speaks to each other. It feels sacrilegious to listen in, and embarrassing if you get caught. "No, I'm fine" the boy breathes out and even though he can't see the boy's face, he knows he's lying.

A head thumps against the book shelf and Steve watches as it trembles under the action. "Okay, okay. It fucking sucks" the boy admits and Steve's eyebrows pinch in what Sam calls his 'Eyebrows of doom'. He hates profanity and for this faceless boy to desecrate the sanctity of the library, he would rein down hell.

Yet as he's moving to stand, an ugly laugh, one rattled with so much sorrow, stops him and leaves him breathless. His mind panics as flashbacks of asthma attacks plagues his mind but he manages to **_breathe_**. He cautiously walks to the bookshelf and listens as the boy whispers "I don't know Rhodey, I can't do this. Maybe I should have stayed the Sociopath Stark and remained in isolation".

Steve pulls away like he's burnt and he looks at his feet. OOOH. "I miss her and I miss you, fuck I miss myself. That guy, Cap was right. Maybe human is a stretch to what I am" he admits and Steve feels the guilt burning at his skin. He laughs and the sound is sharper than his Ma's knives. "Yeah, Iron man is right" he agrees with the person and Steve's finger nails bite into the palm of his hands. "I'll talk to you later, yeah. Tell Carol and Pep I said hello" he whispers and with a click he ends the call. "Shit" he whispers and Steve, ever the coward he is, hides as the boy leaves the library.

* * *

 

The brief glimpse into Stark leaves Steve reeling. His chest hurts as he rejoins his friends who are surprised to see him again. He drops near Natasha and without a word lays his head on her lap. She smooths the wrinkles on his forehead and he closes his eyes. His Ma always did say he's too quick to judge, and damn, did he misjudge Anthony Stark.

And how is he supposed to NOT?

He sees a brat spoiled by his parents, who's loved by the public for his genius, who doesn't hesitate to cuss out anyone, who parades his parent's wealth as his own, who doesn't care enough to cry for his mother when she dies, who's a pathetic excuse for a human being who stood emotionless in front of the grave of a woman who loved him the most... .....

But all of that is a lie though. Steve laughs and covers his eyes, as he feels the wetness of a wrong he committed escape his soul. How did he, of all people, who always canvased for justice, be so ignorant and cruel to a kid who just lost his mother?

"Oh there is Stark" someone says and Steve sits up.

Steve finally sees him outside of their crappy TV and the breathless feeling is back.

Anthony Edward Stark is beautiful in person.

He's on the phone again, ignoring the people who's staring at him, talking animatedly with the other person on the line. He's biting down on his plump, lower lip, nodding at something the person is saying when he looks up, their eyes meeting across the crowded courtyard.

Steve's body freezes as brown meet blue and the burning hatred fades in the background at the hidden grief he sees there.

Steven.G. Rogers is a fool.

Anthony Stark is the first to look away, a frown on his lips as he turns his back on them and Steve feels like an idiot. His mother is right. He stands on his feet, ignoring the shouts from his friends as he uses his toned legs, a result of being football Captain, and runs after the retreating boy. He was stupid to assume....the thought " **I have to apologize** " beats a rhythm in his mind and he doesn't stop until he's holding a too thin wrist in his rough hands.

"Um" Steve speaks up when eyes that must have been the inspiration for every love song, turns to him again. He pulls away when the gaze sharpens. "I'm sorry" Steve says and confusion flickers across Anthony's face.

"What?" Anthony says and repeats the question when Steve is too dumb to speak. Steve catches movement in the corner of his eyes, and he acts. He pulls Antony in his arms (snug against his chest like he belonged there) and the thought to catch the ball doesn't even register in his mind. He's so busy thinking about protecting this broken kid in his embrace, he hadn't consider his own safety. When the ball slams into his head, the last thing he hears is screaming.

* * *

 

The second time Steve sees Anthony Edward Stark, he's laying on a bed. His head hurts and his mouth feels weird. "What the fuck was that?!" Anthony shouts at him, while Bucky hugs the bruised blonde.

Natasha flicks Anthony on the butt and he glares at her, while she returns the poisonous look. Sam wipes his face and doesn't say anything as Bucky sits on his lap.

Thor, who threw the ball by mistake, wails and apologizes to his friend, while Jane sobs on Darcy's chest. Bruce shoots Steve a 'I'm sorry our friends are idiots' look while Scott and Clint regale the tale of how Stark freaked the fuck out when Steve fell to the ground. Steve looks at Anthony, who had retreated to a corner near the window, eyes wide and scared, so different from what he saw that day of his mother's funeral.

And because he is a fucking idiot, the first thing he says is "Why didn't you cry for your mother?"

The loud chatter dies as all eyes swing from Steve to Anthony, one too embarrassed to say anything, and the other who remained so still, they are afraid he had stopped breathing.

He says nothing and when he looks up, Steve chokes on the anger in those sad eyes. "Fuck you" Anthony snarls and stalks away, his tiny body shaking as he left.

"Not cool" Darcy says with so much disgust and turns away. She's the only one to run after Stark.


	2. Introductions

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “You don’t have to say everything to be a light. Sometimes a fire built on a hill will bring interested people to your campfire.”  
> ― Shannon L. Alder

**Breathe.**

 

Tony leans against the wall of an empty hallway, and clutches at his chest, while he struggles to keep the world steady, though everything is spinning. The words are spun on repeat in the deafening silence, and the pain beats down on his back. He feels warm with indignation, gut coiled with tension, arms ready for a fight. 

The heat is what calms him down. 

It reminds him of that one time he spent with his mother, bundled under the thickest comforter they owned, watching the first snow together. It had felt like they were the only two to exist in the world, the only ones to matter. His mother had leaned her shoulders on his bony ones and her black hair tickled at his face as she  pushed further into his space, giggling at the displeasure on his face. He had pulled away, complaining about her lack of boundaries but she had just smiled at him. "It's nice, is all" she had said, turning to the snow falling out the window. She had this distant look in her eyes as she glanced at the door, hoping that he would show up to join them but like always she only set herself up for disappointment. Tony had caved back then, and snuggled against her. She seemed surprised, though pleased as she wrapped her hands around his waist. 

"Stark" is what brings him back to reality, one where his mother doesn't belong to anymore. He looks at the rather buxom girl who's staring at him, no doubt looking at his glazed eyes and hunched form. He doesn't straighten up, just continues to stare at her. The girl has the silkiest hair that flows past her shoulders, and a pretty face that wrinkles in concern. "You good?" She asks, standing beside him, not too close to be considered familiar and not too far to be considered a stranger. He wants to shout and scream at her,  to erase the misplaced concern but he doesn't. She doesn't deserve it. 

"Yeah" he says when he reins in all the venom that had filled his mouth. 

"I'm Darcy" she introduces herself and holds out a delicate hand. Tony snorts but takes it. She grins as they shake hands and bounces on her heels a little when they part. "Wanna get some lunch together? My mom packed extra peanut butter sandwiches" she offers and Tony feels a smile form but coughs it away. 

"Um, Jarvis packed me lunch" he tells her and quickly adds when he sees her sad face " But we can eat together!" She's pleased at his outburst and doesn't wait for him to say anything else, instead grabs him by the elbow and drags him away. 

 

* * *

 

"What was that?" Bruce asks and they're a little surprised at the anger in his words. He's usually laid back but when he's angry he turns into a completely different person. Natasha runs a comforting hand down his back, hoping to soothe the rage and it works, for a bit. 

"I... He... " Steve stammers and Bucky shakes his head but realization makes him groan. He leans back on Sam who shoots him a raised eyebrow. 

"You're guilty" Bucky translates and the little punk has the gall to look scandalized. Sam hides a chuckle in Bucky's hair and Clint narrows his eyes as he watches Steve twist the bed sheets in his hands. 

"Oh, about the Cap blog thing" Scott says and Steve nods.

"Didn't he call you a pathetic nobody who shared the same IQ of his turtle, the infamous Bubbles?" Clint asks and smiles with the rest at how affronted Steve gets with the insult. 

"I heard him" Steve confesses and thanks Thor for the water he went to get. Jane, by his side, levels him with one of his Ma's disappointed stares. "I'm an asshole" he admits but when he looks up, his friends are frowning, clearly not in agreement with his statement. 

"You're one of the best people I've met" Natasha says and the others nod. "You may not have Bubbles' IQ but you certainly have his social graces" she adds and Clint howls at his sister's words. Bucky turns his face into the crook of Sam's neck, shaking with silent laughter while Scott giggles. He's a strange one like that. Thor's belly jiggles with his booming laughter and Jane snickers behind her hands. 

"When people treat you like a monster" Bruce says and the rooms comes to a screeching halt at his words. "You become one" he finishes and walks away, ignoring Natasha as he left. 

* * *

 

"You gotta forgive Steve, he's a bit of a social retard" Darcy says as she bites into her sandwich. Tony who munches on his spaghetti, snorts. "No really, he's good people buttttt.... He can be an ass when he wants" she adds as she wipes her mouth. 

"And why did he feel the need to be an ass to me? " Tony asks and flinches when a boy with glasses sits next to him. 

"Because you, Anthony Stark embodies all that Steve hates in the world" the boy says and Darcy slaps at the boy's hand. He shoots them a sheepish look after his harsh revelation. 

"I swear, you all are the most... " Darcy swears and sniffs as Tony stops her. 

"I'm Bruce. Bruce Banner" glasses boys says but doesn't offer a handshake. He heard of him, one of the few prodigies that could keep up with Tony, had seen him in one of those videos his mother would watch, topping his school science fair. 

"You know who I am" Tony offers, expecting the other boy to grow angry at the sentence but he just chuckles. Strange. 

"I would be a fool not to know who you are" Banner says and politely refuses the sandwich shoved his way. 

"Why are you punishing us with that sandwich of yours?" Tony snarks and Darcy dramatically gasps while Banner quietly laughs. 

"Hey, my ma made this with love! Respect the Lewis peanut butter goodness!" She refutes and Tony snorts at her. Tony watches Banner's quiet pleasure and pushes his second container of spaghetti to him. Jarvis, ever the mother hen had packed him two lunches. Banner is shocked, his eyes large behind his glasses as he stares at the lunch. Darcy smiles as Banner thanks him and they eat in a companionable silence. 

* * *

 

Steve, accompanied by Bucky and Sam leave school, numb at having missed the opportunity to apologize. A whistle brings him out of his stupor and he looks at Bucky who's enamored with the silver Benz. A handsome man stands near the car with a stern face devoid of all emotion, wearing black trousers and a white shirt without a tie or jacket. "You're early" is said and they all turn to Anthony Stark who stalks past them without a word. The man bows at Anthony who sighs at the gesture. 

"Sir" the man says and the affection for his master can't be reined in. He opens the door for Anthony who mumbles a thanks, ready to slide in the car when Steve stops him. The driver finally notices them and he's not pleased. 

"Stevie, maybe-" Bucky says but Steve approaches Anthony anyway. He feels the need to apologize like a rash that won't go away. He thinks those sad eyes will haunt him even on his deathbed. 

"I'm Steve Rogers" he introduces him and Anthony keeps looking at him. "I just wanted to say that I was wrong, and I'm sorry" he adds while the handsome man moves almost to stop him. 

"It's okay Jarvis" Anthony says and Jarvis nods though he enters the driver's seat of the car. "Thank you Steve Rogers for the apology"  he adds with a bland smile and turns to leave again, but is stopped by Steve's calloused hand, AGAIN. 

"Tomorrow" Steve says, as they stare at each other, Steve's hand pressed against Antony's. His palm is smaller, though it's rougher than he expected. Anthony jerks back as Steve traces his index against an old scar near his middle finger. Steve blushes and ignores the groans from Bucky and Sam. "Sit with us tomorrow" he pleads and Anthony wears a rather uncomfortable expression as he gazes at Steve. When he realizes that Steve won't take no for an answer, he relents and agrees. "I want to get to know you" Steve declares and smiles as he returns to his friends, laughing as they walked off. 

* * *

 

"I hate him" Tony fumes when Carol calls him to get all the details of his first day. He has her on speaker phone as he lazily lounges on his bed. When he tells her what's happened, she screeches with delight at his pain and he burrows his face on his pillow. 

"How very 'Sandy' of you" Carol snipes and laughs at Tony's pathetic groaning. 

"We watched Grease once, once!" Tony complained and twisted onto his back. 

"Is he hot like John Travolta at least? " she asked and laughs again when Tony remains silent. "Ooooh, he's smoking" she adds and Tony covers his eyes, ignoring his warm cheeks. 

"He is not" Tony refutes and looks at Jarvis who knocks on his open door. "I've gotta go, piano lesson" he says and says his goodbye to Carol before hanging up. 

"Master Fabio is waiting in the music room" Jarvis says and Tony stands on his feet. "He was more of a Chris Evans to me" Jarvis adds and pretends not to smile at Tony's outrage. 

* * *

"And how was his first day?" His Ma asks, as they're having dinner. Steve tells her about the ball incident and she sighs at him. "Stevie only you" she says and stands up to take a look. 

"He was sad" Steve blurts out and she looks at him. He looks at his peas and feels the guilt eat at him, churning in his stomach, heavy as lead. She sits down and watches as he struggles to keep the tears from falling. "I did something bad, Ma" he chokes and she wraps him in a hug, running her hands through his hair as he cries. He had been the one to write those articles, the one who fought with Iron Man aka Anthony Stark behind a pseudo, Captain_America on twitter. They had been fighting for years on the public domain, sniping at each other, even though Steve hadn't revealed his identity. He had called Anthony a Sociopath for not crying for his mother because a boy like Steve who loved his Ma so much couldn't phantom how Anthony could stand listless in front her grave. 

His mother who had been the woman's nurse for years had fallen in love with Maria Stark and as inevitable as it is with the Rogers family, Steve grew to love the woman too. 

So when Anthony appeared before the word, so blank, so uncaring for such a wonderful woman, he felt indignation on her part. So he went on twitter and his blog and wrote the article that first coined the term Sociopath Stark. 

"Maria loved that boy, and he loved her" his mother says when he finally stopped crying. "Just because we didn't bear witness to it, doesn't mean it doesn't exist" she tells him and takes his face in her hands. "What did I say when you do something wrong?" She asks 

"We make up for it and say sorry like we mean it" he recited and she smiled. She wiped away his tears and sat back down. 

"You did good Stevie" she commends him and he smiles shyly at his mother. 

* * *

Tony can not believe his eyes. The blonde guy is standing without his friends in the same spot Jarvis parked at yesterday. "Oh? " Jarvis asks as the car comes to a stop some feet away from the shining blonde. He perks up like a golden retriever, twisting around to see when Tony would get out. Tony understands hatred directed at him for the wealth he never asked for but got anyway because of his father. He understands anger at the nonchalance he exudes to people he terms aren't worth his time, he understands outrage at his effortless intellect, where he will take only a mere minutes to solve a problem which others could not even dare to attempt. He understood all of that but never in his short span of life, did someone work so hard for his forgiveness. Oh he knew Steven Rogers hated him, saw it when their eyes met in that courtyard, felt it shifting in the background when he approached Tony. So why then... He says goodbye to Jarvis who nods at him and when he gets out, Steve is already there.  _ The fuck _ . 

"Morning" the blonde smiles and Tony's lip nearly raises in a snarl. Ugh. Such happiness in the morning should be a crime against humanity. 

"Morning" Tony replies because his mother taught him manners. He says nothing else as they walk away, ignoring Jarvis' stare. That rat bastard probably is taking a video to send to his friends. 

"Is he your driver?" Steve asks and Tony jerks, for having forgotten about Steve. The blonde doesn't catch up on it though, so Tony shakes his head. How do you even begin to explain Jarvis to normal people?  Just stating that he is a butler would be a gross understatement, he is much more than that. 

"He's my Jarvis" his brain supplies and glanced at Steve whose shoulders shake with the effort not to laugh. Embarrassed, Tony releases a huff and walks off. 

* * *

"Sorry, sorry" Steve apologizes and falls in step with Anthony. He's different from what Steve expected. He's wearing a pair of ripped up blue jeans, the same red chucks and a Beatles t-shirt. "A music expert huh" Steve says and Anthony scoffs as he squeezes at the handle of his bag. He's uncomfortable Steve realizes and so he decides to place some space between them.

"I grew up with music" Anthony softly admits when Steve think he's not going to answer him. There's a distance in that brown gaze of his and Steve learns that he has the most expressive pretty eyes. Steve didn't know brown could look so appealing. "I was trained in the classics from a young age but I fell in love with rock and roll" he adds and Steve smiles at Anthony who timidly returns the gesture. 

"I'm a little more jazz myself" Steve says and he's rewarded with a scandalized gasp which broadens Steve's smile. 

"What a crime, I do say" Anthony mock cries and Steve shakes his head at him. 

"We can like different things, Anthony" Steve says and snickers at how the other boy scrunches up his nose like a bunny. 

"Tony" Anthony tells him and turns to Steve who has stopped in the crowded hallway. People are openly gawking at them, the popular Steve Rogers and celebrity kid Tony Stark, sharing a conversation?!  "I prefer to go by Tony" he adds and their eyes lock together once more. Steve's throat tighten at the hint of a smile that plays on plush lips and he takes a step forward. He wants to scoop this kid in his arms and feed him his Ma's famous Shepherd's pie. Tony, shifts on his right leg, swallowing as he breaks the moment, turning to Bucky as Steve's friends approach. Darcy waves at Tony who smirks at her and nods at Bruce who greets him. 

Steve glares at Bucky who shoots him a leer as they stand around the two. 

"Wow, so you're gonna pretend like you don't see us standing here?" Sam gasps and punches Steve in the arm. Steve rolls his eyes at him and turns to Tony who's growing more tense. He looks like Scott's cat when you try to pet him. Sensing the danger, Steve moves to speak when Darcy ever the heroine she is, grabs Tony by the arm. 

"Well,  we have a class to get to. See ya losers" She shouts and runs off with Tony. 

* * *

Tony Stark is not a people person. Once when his mother tried, in an effort to get him to make friends, he shouted at her "I don't know how to people!" Fortunately that didn't stop her and so he somehow managed to get Pepper, Carol and Rhodey to like him. However outside of the three, he doesn't people. So when blondie- Steve his mind reminds him, pushed an apology unto him and a promise for an impending friendship, Tony Stark panicked. And a panicked Tony often calls for the Goddess that is Pepper. "Tony!  I'm in class" Pepper hisses when the call connects with a click. "Tony!" She calls when he doesn't answer.

"Oh my God, Pep. Oh my Goddd" he screeches as he hides behind the school, phone pressed against his ear. He feels the panic twist in his chest, the anxiety nipping at its heels. 

"Tony,  what's wrong?! Are you okay? What's happened?! " she rattles off and he slides down the wall, taking large gulps of air. 

"How the fuck do you people?" He shouts into the phone and the doom rises a little at the soft giggling on the phone. The air finally enters in his lungs as he presses his forehead on his knees. 

He listens to her as she laughs, he finds the airy sound like a salve, easing the pain. "Pepper" he whines like the brat he is. 

"What's wrong? Is this about the same kid who saved you like the damsel you are? " Pepper teases and Tony blows a raspberry at her. 

"I don't know how.... How do I make friends? How do I become a normal person?" He whispers and she stops laughing. 

"Tones" she wetly replies, a cry between a sob and sigh. "You are a normal person" she refutes and he stares at the blue sky, listening to Pepper pretend like she isn't crying. 

"How did we become friends?" He asks and she sniffs. 

"You proposed to me in the park" she says and Tony laughs along with her at the absurdity. "If you wanna be their friend, just be yourself" Pepper says when the laughter dies down. 

"That was the most cliche thing you ever said to me" Tony speaks up and she   chuckles.

"It wasn't" she refutes and he looks at grass. "You're the best Anthony Stark" she adds and he goofily grins. 

"There's only one of me, Pepper pot" he tells her. 

"Thank God" she laughs and he pouts. "But seriously, be yourself. Not a Stark, not Howard's prodigy, not your mother's son, just Tony" she says. 

"I'm all three" Tony admits and she makes a strangled sound as he hears noise on her end. 

"You know what I mean" she breathlessly says and sighs. "Are you gonna be okay?" She asks and he nods. 

"Yeah, always" he says as he stands. "That's all, Ms. Potts" he jokes and he can feel her smiling. He doesn't have to see her to know. 

"Okay, Mr. Stank. Talk to you later, don't forget we're Skyping this evening" she shouts and without another word, she hangs up. 

* * *

Tony is nervous. Class had just let up, and as he walked down the hallway, half listening to what Darcy is saying and scoping the halls for Steve, his hands trembled with each jolt his heart made. His hands are sweaty, and his tongue is jammed against his teeth on an effort to calm himself, when a shoulder bumps into his. He sees Darcy staring at him and the tension eases a little. "You'll be fine. They'll love you" she promises and he releases a breath as he stares at this wonderful, silly girl who has decided to keep him as her own. He doesn't understand why, but for some reason, Darcy has taken him as her friend and won't let him go. He knows she has no interest in his father's money, and she has no extra motive, no greed for the things he could make, instead she's enraptured by his awkwardness like a moth to a flame. "Come on" she urges him and she makes sure not to touch his skin. She's perceptive like that. He follows her through the tunnel of people who glance at him, the novelty of having a celebrity kid in their midst wearing off with each antisocial move on his part and when they make it outside, near the tree of boisterous teenagers, Tony feels the nausea at the back of his throat. Steve perks up again when they stare at each other, and Tony's fingers twitch at the intensity of that blue gaze. "Yeah" Darcy laughs as she pulls him to her friends who quieten down when they stand in front of them.

"Guys, this is Tony" Steve says as he pushes away his sketchbook, motioning to the spot on the right. He wants him to sit there?!  

"Sup Tony" one of them sings, chewing on bubble gum as his head is propped on the red head's thigh. "I'm Clint and this is my sister, Natasha" he says with a two finger wave. Tony nods and gives them the most nervous wave. 

"I'm Bucky and this is Sam" the long haired guy says after a snort. He's propped against the tree, legs crossed while a dark skinned boy is playing with his hair. Sam smiles at him but otherwise continues what he's doing. 

"I'm Scott and this is Steve" a smaller boy says and Tony smiles as Clint boos him. 

"And you know me and Bruce" Darcy says sitting near Bruce's feet while he scribbles on a piece of paper. 

"It's nice to meet all of you" Tony says and cautiously sits down next to Steve who shifts again to make room for him. 

"Sorry we don't have a blanket" the blonde flushes as Tony pulls out his lunch. 

"It's fine, this is not my first rodeo" Tony assures him and he feels Steve's gaze on him as he takes out his sandwich. "What?" He asks and Steve shakes his head. "I have sat on grass before, Steve" he says and the blonde blushes again. 

Tony listens to the light conversations happening around them, munching on his sandwich as he calculates something in his mind, when he sees blue at the corner of his eyes. "Yeah?" He asks without looking at the blonde. 

"Nothing. I'm just trying to figure you out" Steve says and Tony clicks his tongue. 

"And what have you found out so far?" Tony asks, crossing his shins over one another. 

"You love music and you have a Jarvis" Steve says and Tony shifts his torso to him, while the blonde has a dorky grin on his face, pleased with himself. Tony can't help it. He throws his head back and laughs, something light, something breathless, something that tickles his belly in the best way. He laughs until tears form in his eyes, until he falls backwards on the grass, until all chatter dissipates as Steve and his friends stare at him, giggling like a fool. With the sun cradling his face, and hair as rich as the finest gold fluttering in the wind above him, Tony feels weightless. With one cheek against the itchy grass, he finally stops. 

"You're something else, Anthony Stark" Steve whispers, flopping beside him as his eyes graze along the dimples on Tony's cheeks. 

"You too, Steve Rogers" Tony chuckles, not even angry that he's dropped his favorite sandwich on the ground.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here ya go.

**Author's Note:**

> So how did you all like it?  
> I'm uzulover on ze tumblr, feel free to hit me up :)


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